Treatment of fabrics



Patented Nov. 14, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE land, assignor to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing.

Application December 3, 1926,

Serial No. 152,516, and in Great Britain July 7 Claims. (oi. s-et) This invention relates to the treatment of woven, knitted or other fabricsmade with or containing threads or yarns composed of or comprising filaments or fibres of cellulose acetate or other esters or ethers of cellulose,for the purpose of rendering them less liable to or immune from development of faults caused through lack of cohesion or low coefiicient of friction existing between the threads or yarns of the fabrics at their points of crossing or interlooping.

In the case of woven fabrics thesefaults are commonly referred to as slipping, the term indicating "that stresses in usage or in processes subsequent to weaving cause the threads of one component (i. e. the warp or weft) to slip over those of the other and produce, at the point of slipping, uneven distribution of the warp threads or weft threads. The fault is least observable in closely woven fabrics having a high number of reed and pick and is most likely to occur in fabrics with a small number of crossings (i. e. points of contact of warp and weft) per unit area.

In the case of circular knitted fabrics or other weft-knitted fabrics the fault is commonly known as laddering and is caused by a line or series of loops in. the fabric (on breakage of a loop or thread) becoming drawn out of or slipping out of the adjacent loopsthrough which they are threaded in the structure of the fabric, owing to lack of cohesion or low coefficient of friction at the points of contact of the loops, so that a ladder-like defect results; while in the case of warp-knitted fabrics the fault is commonly known as splitting and is produced by.

the fabric splitting continuously along a wale of the fabric, without tearing, if a cut happens to be made lengthwise inthe middle of the wale in a direction towards the beginning of the fabric, such splitting being likewise due to lack of cohesion or low coefiicient of friction existing between the threads of the fabric.

It has now been found that by subjecting woven, knitted or other fabrics,-and especially fabrics made with or containing threads or yarns composed of or comprising filaments or fibres of cellulose acetate or other esters or cellulose ethersto the process of the .present invention, their tendency to develop the faults of the character referred to is greatly minimized or even eliminated.

The precise reason for the emcacy of the process of the present invention is not entirely clear, but it appears in general to be due to physical modification of the yarns by which they are swollen out, either by actual swelling or increase of volume of the filament or fibre unit itself or by penetration of the interstices between the filaments, or both, so that the binding power of the threads or yarns is increased producing a more resistant fabric.

According to the present invention for the purpose referred to woven, knitted or other fabrics-made with or containing yarns or threads composed of or comprising filaments or fibres of cellulose acetate, or other esters or ethers of cellulose-are subjected to simple or repeated application by impregnation with one or more substances or agents having a swelling action upon the fibres of the fabrics. Such substances or agents are chiefly organic bodies. The process of the present application is carried out with such substances or agents and in such a manher that merely an increase of the cohesion and of thecoeflicient of friction between the yarn or threads of the treated material is produced and no solution of the cellulose derivative takes place which would cause adhesion between the yarns or threads.

Examples of the substances or agents which I may use for the purpose of the invention, and which are especially useful for the treatment of fabrics made with or containing cellulose acetate threads or fibres are:-

(a) Hydrocarbons such as those, of the parafiin, aromatic, naphthene or terpene series, and their hydrogenated and halogenated derivatives for example; hexane, decane, dodecane, or higher parafiin hydrocarbons or mixtures of such as may occur in various commercial liquids of parafiin like gasoline, and the-like; benzene, toluene, xylenes, naphthalenes, dekanaphthene, undekanaphthene, dodekanaphthene, pinene, sylvestrene; hexahydrobenzene, tetrahydronaphthalene, trichlorethylene, tetrachlorethane, chlor or polychlor benzenes, chlor or polychlor toluenes, chlor or polychlor xylenes; alphachlornaphtha lene, betachlornaphthalene, polychlornaphthalenes.

(b) Alcoholic and phenolic bodies of the various chemical series, and their halogenated or hydrogenated derivatives, for instance, ethyl alcohol, propylalcohol, glycerol, phenol, cresols, xylenols, hexahydrophenol. alphanaphthol, betanaphthol, resorcin, catechol, guaiacol, anisol, tetrahydronaphthol, chlorhydrin, chlorphenol, chlornaphthols.

(0) Amino compounds, or their hydroxy or halogenated derivatives for instance aniline, alkylor dialkylanilines, alkyl or dialkyl toluidines, alkyl or dialkyl xylidines, benzylaniline, diphenylamine, naphthylamines, alkyl and aryl naphthylamines such as phenyland ethyl-alphanaphthylamines, chloranilines, chlornaphthylamines, aminophenols, aminonaphthols, alkylaminophenols, alkylaminonaphthols.

(d) Ketonic, aldehydic and miscellaneous organic substances such as acetone, diacetonealcohol, formaldehyde, benzaldehyde, and nitro derivatives such as nitrobenzene, nitrotoluene and the like.

The bodies or agents having a swelling action may be applied to the goods in any suitable manner, at any suitable temperatures or pressures. By way of example, they may be applied by any of the following methods, it being understood that I in no wise limit myself in this respect:-

(1) The selected agent or mixture of agents may be applied as such where feasible, as in the case of liquids such as benzene, toluene, turpentine, and the like.

(2) The agent or mixture of agents may be applied in solution or admixture with indifferent solvents or liquids, as for instance, benzaldehyde in solution or mixed with diethylether, phenol or ethylalcohol in Water.

(3) The agent or mixture of agents, where insoluble or insufiiciently soluble in or miscible with water may be applied in colloidal dispersion in aqueous media.

Such colloidal dispersions may be formed by any methods known in the colloidal arts, but in particular they may be formed by or with the aid of the methods described in prior British specifications Nos. 219,349, 224,925, 242,393, 9503/26, or 273,819 or 273,820, and in U. S. Patents Nos. 1,618,413, 1,618,414, 1,694,413 or 1,840,572, by treating the swelling agents with one or more of the solubilizing agents of the said specifications which treatment may be in presence or absence of Water, (or in presence of larger quantities of water with subsequent concentration or drying), heating if necessary and diluting the solubilized or, dispersed modifications so formed or, as required. The solubilizing agents of the prior British specification No.

219,349 and U. S. Patent No. 1,618,413, are as therein stated sulphoricinoleic or other sulphated fatty acids or other bodies having oily or fatty characteristics, namely higher fatty acids or sulphonated or other derivatives thereof containing salt-forming groups or salts of such acids or bodies,-for instance their alkali or ammonium salts, or a mixture of two or more of such acids or bodies and salts, and the said British specification No. 219,349, and U. S. Patent No. 1,618,413, mentions as examples of such solubilizing agents oleic, stearic, palmitic, sulphoricinoleic, their alkali or ammonium salts, mixtures of such acids, and mixtures of such acids and salts.

The solubilizing agents of the said British specification No. 224,925 and U. S. Patent No.

. 1,618,414 are, as therein stated, carbocyclic compounds containing in their structure one or more salt forming groups or sodium or other salts of said compounds, or mixtures of one or more thereof with one or more of the solubilizing agents of the British specification No. 219,349 and U. S. Patent No. 1,618,413; and as examples of such carbocyclic compounds or their salts British specification No. 224,925 and U. S. Patent No. 1,618,- 414 mention naphthenic acids, naphthene sulphonic acids or other" carboxylic or sulphonic acids of the cyolo paraffins, phenols, sulphonic acids, carboxylic acids, phenolsulphonic acids or other derivatives of the benzene, naphthalene or anthracene series, or other derivatives of saturated vor non-saturated cyclic hydrocarbons contain- No. 273,819 and U. S. Patent No. 1,840,572 are, as,

therein stated, sulphoaromatic ricinoleic acids or salts thereof, for instance sulphobenzene ricinoleic acid, sulphophenol ricinoleic acid or sulphonaphthalene ricinoleic acids or their alkali or ammonium salts. The solubilizing agents of our prior British specification No. 273,820 are, as therein stated, soluble resin soaps or sodium or other soluble salts or soaps of resin acids.

The application of the swelling agents in the form of their colloidal dispersions-and especially in form of their colloidal dispersions prepared by the methods described in our previous specificationsis particularly useful from a commercial point of view in view of the ease and safety of manipulation and economy. Further, many of the solubilizing agents of our said previous specifications when employed for preparing the aqueous dispersions for practising the present invention, produce liquids of low surface tension and can contribute materially to the eificacy of the process since liquids of low surface tensionpenetrate or wet out better and thus the interstices between the filaments tend to become penetrated more readily, which is a material aid.

Examples of such colloidal dispersions which I have found particularly useful for the purpose of the present invention are dispersions of xylene in Turkey red oil, dispersions of nitrobenzene in concentrated soap solutions, dispersions of solvent naphtha in concentrated soap solutions, dispersions of xylene in aqueous sulphoricinoleic acid and the like.

When it is desired to perform the process of the present invention by the methods 1 or 2, a closed extraction apparatus will usually be used since most of the impregnating substances of the present invention are inflammable or volatile. For method 3 (application in form of colloidal dispersions in aqueous media) ordinary dyeing, scouring or impregnation machinery is available such as the jigger, winch or reel machine, open soaper, beam dyeing machine and the like familiar in these trades. In all methods of application temperatures and pressures will be chosen to suit the individual conditions and agents employed but usually the process of the present invention is more efficacious at warm or hot temperatures than cold. The duration may also be greatly varied according to individual circumstances and the process may be applied in continuous manner depending upon various controlling factors such as the resistances of the fabric to manipulation.

remain in the fabrics for some time before remo ing them, for instance the impregnated fabrics may be-piled or rolled up and left overnight. When the treatment has been given for the requisite length of time the' goods may be washed, soaped and dried and finished as desired.

The following examples illustrate the invention, but it is of course to be understood that they are in no way limitative.

Example 1 A fabric woven from cellulose acetate yarns is treated with boiling toluene for 3 hours in a suitable closed apparatus, for instance, an apparatus of the Soxhlet types. The fabric is thereafter removed, dried, and finished as required.

Example 2 warm softwater to remove excess of soap. Thefirst wash water may advantageously contain a little ammonia. The fabric is afterwards dried and finished as desired.

Example A woven or knitted fabric of cellulose acetate is treated in the cold for 1 hour in about 40 times its Weight of an aqueous solution of phenol containing approximately 1.5 grams per litre. After this treatment the fabric is removed, rinsed, and dried until the smell of phenol no longer remains. As in Example 2 improved results may be obtained by a subsequent double soaping followed by adequate rinsing.

Example 4 A woven or knitted fabric of cellulose acetate yarn is treated at C. in any suitable manner, but preferably by means of an ordinary padding mangle, with a dispersion containing: 1 part by volume of xylene and 9 parts by volume of Turkey red oil (50% fatty acids). The pressure is so adjusted that the fabric retains about of itsweight of the dispersion. The operation may be continuous and after the impregnation and squeeze the goods are preferably rolled up to maintain the temperature and left for a time. The efficacy of the treatment is dependent upon the time factor and it is found desirable in practice to leave the goods overnight. They are then scoured at 60 C. with a soap solution containing-2.5 grams per litre and afterwards washed with warm soft water, which may contain a little ammonia if desired, until free from the agents used. The whole process may then be repeated to obtain a considerable improvement of the result. The goods may afterwards be subjected to dyeing operations or other treatments as desired.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Process for the treatment of fabrics containing organic substitution derivatives of cellulose to render them less liable to develop faults, comprising impregnating the fabrics with substances capable of swelling, without dissolving, the cellulose derivatives so as to increase the cohesion and coemcient of friction between theyarns of said fabric.

2. Process for the treatment of fabrics containing organic substitution derivatives of cellulose to render them less liable to develop faults, comprising impregnating the fabrics with aqueous colloidal solutions of substances capable of swelling, without dissolving, the cellulose derivative so as to increase the cohesion and coefiicient of friction between the yarns of said fabric.

3. Process for the treatment of fabrics containing cellulose acetate to render them less liable to develop faults, comprising impregnating the fabrics with substances capable of swelling, with-' out dissolving, the cellulose acetate so as to increase the cohesion and coefficient of friction between the yarns of said fabric.

4. Process for the treatment of fabrics containing cellulose acetate to render them less liable to develop faults, comprising impregnating the fabrics with aqueous colloidal solutions of substances capable of swelling, without dissolving, the cellulose acetate so as to increase the cohesion and coefficient of friction between the yarns of said fabric.

5. Process for the treatment of fabrics comprising cellulose acetate to render them less liable to develop faults, comprising treating the fabrics with. aqueous colloidal solutions comprising xylene and a soap, batching the same and then scouring.

6. Process for the treatment of fabrics co prising cellulose acetate to render them less liable 120 to develop faults, comprising treating the fabrics with aqueous colloidal solutions comprising commercial solvent naphtha and a soap, batching the sameand then scouring.

7. Process for the treatment of fabrics com- 125 prising cellulose acetate to render them less liable to develop faults, comprising treating the fabrics with aqueous colloidal solutions, comprising xylene and a sulphonated soap, batching the same and then scouring.

GEORGE HOLLAND ELLIS. 

